Dean Smith - Confirmed

[Rudy Can't Fail]

A very good point, Dante. I guess we could give him half a season out on loan with one of the stronger Championship teams providing he'll play often and of course we bring in new players to strengthen the existing squad. Foden was slowly eased into the Man City team until second half of this season he pretty much claimed a starting place.

[SoccerHQ]

The trick is to keep the special ones around and slowly integrate them into first team squad. Done it fine with Ramsey this year and I think Carney will have similar development next season, possibly Barry aswell but he's still very young and we will surely sign someone upfront.

Too often we fall into the tap of just thinking we can throw 5-6 of them all in one go and expect amazing results just because it works well in the youth team and because it worked for Man. United in 1995 and Leeds about 20 years ago.

Didn't work for us under SGT in his second spell and 2010 when Bannan, Albrighton, Hogg, Clark all started loads of games that season so it's a bit of a pipe dream to think at any point we'll have Kesler at RB, CM duo of Carney-Ramsey and Barry somewhere in the front 3.

Keep two around the first team and loan the rest out is what I'd do.

[Exeter 77]

I think a big part of Jacob Ramsey's development though may have been his loan at Doncaster last season but I don't disagree about us being able to integrate younger players into the first team squad with loaning them out.

[aj2k77]

Is he capable of doing anything in game?

[kippaxvilla2]

Was it Edens who fired a coach who got them up and got them to being an average team? 

[Villan82]

He's done a cracking job in many ways but he needs to improve if we are to improve. This (and last season) I felt we left too many points behind us on the pitch.

[Toronto Villa]

Proving again today that he’s not a top half PL manager. I don’t think he’s a bad manager, but he’s not at the level the club aspires to be. He will be the victim of being overtaken by the ambitions of the club. He’s developed into a mid table manager in the 10-13th range. That’s not going to cut it given where the owners want us to be.

[richtheholtender]

Still playing the same tactics as the day he walked in. He has been given a lot of resources and not having changing anything is beyond belief. Very fortunate to have picked up the 12 points at the beginning of the season. It’s not where we are going to finish, it’s how it’s been achieved.

[JUAN PABLO]

he was poor today - gettinng hammered by palace and didnt have a clue what to do ..

[andyh]

I really don’t see how he can take us to the next level.

[pauliewalnuts]

Looking like we're going to finish with 14 points more than last season, which is definite improvement, but hugely underwhelming after the hope of the early part of the season.

He hasn't got a clue how to manage matches. If it all goes well for him, then fair enough, let it play off, but when the tables are turning against us, he pretty much never reacts.

20 minutes before their third, it looked absolutely obvious were were going to lose that match.

[aj2k77]

Proving again today that he’s not a top half PL manager. I don’t think he’s a bad manager, but he’s not at the level the club aspires to be. He will be the victim of being overtaken by the ambitions of the club. He’s developed into a mid table manager in the 10-13th range. That’s not going to cut it given where the owners want us to be.

Well he got well and truly owned by Hodgson second half, who is a bottom half manager. 3 wins in 16. Subs are waaay too late. 2nd halfs consistently poor, formation changes about as likely as a Kienan Davis goal. Time is ticking when you have billionaire owners.

[OzVilla]

That 2nd half performance should make Smith very nervous. That was well into diabolical territory.

[Brend'Watkins]

I really don’t see how he can take us to the next level.

Better players maybe?

Is our midfield as good as Palace's? It isn't. 

[Richard]

Now lost more than we have won. We should have had the game won by half time but went to pot second half and Smith has to take some of the blame.